I found a few beautifully toned pennies and I was asked if it was a natural?That question made wonder if there is a way to artificially tone a coin?If So how? And how can I tell the difference?
Jewelry makers call it Patina. Coloring metal to make it more appealing to some people. https://www.sciencecompany.com/Patina-Chemicals-Patina-Book-C672.aspx?s=Name ASC&p=1 With coins it can be very hard to tell the difference between AT and NT. It can be a lengthy study. There should be lots of older threads on the subject. A search of them should yield some interesting information.
Most toning that you see occurs naturally. A few cents on the dashboard in the summer sun for example. They can tone in any of a number of ways. Heat exposure, liquid, old soda in the bottom of your cup holder..... And yes, there has been quite a market recently of folks artificially toning old coins and selling them for wild premiums. I believe they use a method of nitrogen exposure on them. These are usually wild purplish colors. Not my cup of tea at all. But they are out there.
The Cents have a copper coating. It's thin but it's copper and copper reacts to the environment. It will tone naturally. Place them in the sun or a very warm area. They can also be artificially toned. Just pee on one and wait. Vaseline and an oven. There are other ways but I think you get the idea.
Maybe I am old fashioned BUT - AT (artificial toning) is just that ARTIFICIAL! If you are doing it for yourself fine but there are some CROOKS on the nationally used site for buying and selling, that do it for profit, it is just plain wrong. I recently acquired a very substantial collection of Unopened Uncirculated Mint Sets and am having a ball going through them. Several toned coins so far much of it due to the material used to package the coins (earlier cellophane) had some harmful oils in it and that caused toning. Other causes were pin pricks in the cellophane that allowed air to get to the coins. Just be truthful in your dealings with other people and you will be fine. Semper Fi
I think crook is a bit harsh. They are preforming and providing a viable service to those that are in need of colorful coins. If there is no demand there is no service. It reminds me of those people that sell books with blank pages.
IF A COIN IS ARTIFICIALLY TONED/COLORED/ALTERED - The seller should note it in the description, it it is not described as such I stand by my statement "CROOK" all he or she is attempting to do is relieve you of your hard earned money. Semper Fi.
